The historic Hotel Reina Cristina in Algercias © Michelle Chaplow
Hotel Reina Cristina
The proudest hotel in the city of Algeciras is the Hotel Reina Cristina. Kings and Queens have stayed there. So have statesmen such as Churchill and Roosevelt and film stars like Rock Hudson and Deborah Kerr.
Reina Cristina c1994
Hotel Reina Cristina was opened in 1901 and named after Queen Maria Cristina mother of King Alfonso XIII. There are remains of an 8th-Century Mosque and a Moorish well in the grounds. The hotel is located close to Algeciras Port and the beach is a 10 drive minutes away.
The hotel building has small indoor pavilion heated pool a gym and a sauna plus a large outdoor summer only swimming pools. In the grounds are a hard surface tennis court and another repurposed as a 5-a-side football pitch. Free Wi-Fi is available in rooms and public areas. There is a TV room, Cards room, a central covered Patio with armchairs and Grand Piano and several meeting rooms.
All of the 181 guest rooms have a either a balcony or if ground floor a terrace. Rooms 401 to 420 are located away from the main building with terraces looking over the the outdoor swimming pool; no doubt delightful in the summer.
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The pool at the Reina Christina Hotel © Michelle Chaplow
You can find mid-century mosaics at the hotel, a gorgeous blend of 1950s–60s modernism, organic shapes, geometric patterns, and earthy colours. This vintage wall art can be seen in the hotel´s open-air pool bar, a fabulous architectural installation of decorative tiles, and contemporary mosaic.
The Mid-century mosaics in the Pool Bar of the Reina Cristina Hotel
The hotel restaurant offers buffet meals for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. There are 2 bars; main bar and event room bar, plus a summer Pool Bar with interesting mosaic behind the bar.
Details of the history of this hotel, and of the railway line to Ronda that was built at the same time, are told in the article "The train in Spain leaves the plain".
Stroll around the grounds of the Hotel Reina Cristina © Michelle Chaplow
Reina Cristina's has 20 acres of subtropical grounds
Once, the Reina Cristina's 20 acres of subtropical grounds overlooked a sandy beach and sea beyond; today, that view is marred by a sports stadium and the cranes and cables of a working commercial port. But on a clear day, you can still gaze out on the Rock and Pillars of Hercules and imagine you are transported back to the first decade of 1900 when garrison officers and their wives and wealthy passengers disembarking from P&O cruise liners en route to India and the Far East would enjoy the hotel's regular Saturday evening dances in its specially sprung ballroom.
So proud was the hotel of Algeciras's temperate climate, that guests were promised a refund on their room rate for any days between May and September spoiled by rain. Then, they would relax in front of the tiled fireplace in the well-stocked library, its bound volumes protected by ornately carved bookcases and read from the light cast by the tentacles of huge green glass chandeliers - still all there today. A roomy lounge (Salon Alfonso XI) with magnificent carved oak doors would keep revelers at bay, so players of poker or rummy could concentrate. The double sided chimney complete with ceramic tiles and wrought iron in old British Edwardian style fire places keeping guests warm in winter.
In World War II, it accommodated a host of international spies, who insisted on en-suite rooms with a sea view so they could observe movements round Gibraltar. Bathrooms were converted into darkrooms to process film purchased in Gibraltar.
Federico García Lorca and his good friend Rafael Rodríguez Rapún on the steps of the Hotel Reina Cristina in Algercias © Ramón Menéndez Pidal
The Terrace Steps
There are some inconspicuous stone steps, framed by a low decorative brick wall, leading down from the terrace next to the indoor pool. The steps that can be seen on the photo at the head of this page. Have your photo taken here, just as Federico García Lorca did in 1935. There is a copy of the photograph on the wall opposite the reception, framed with the inscription, "Photograph donated to the Press Association of the Campo de Gibraltar by Ian Gibson, gifted by Gonzálo Menéndez Pidal, son of Ramón Menéndez Pidal, projectionist of La Barraca". 1998, the centenary year of the birth of Federico García Lorca."
Lorca was visiting Algeciras at the time as part of a summer tour with La Barraca, his university theatre troupe that brought classical Spanish drama to rural and coastal areas of Spain. The person standing alongside Lorca is Rafael Rodríguez Rapún. Rapún was the secretary of La Barraca and is widely considered by biographers, most notably Lorca expert Ian Gibson, to have been the poet's last great love. The images show the two men in a relaxed and informal manner. As Lorca and Rapún generally kept their relationship discreet, these photographs are highly valued as some of the few visual testimonies of their bond.
The date of 1935 places the photo just one year before Lorca’s assassination in August 1936. Rapún himself died almost exactly one year after Lorca, on 18 August 1937, while fighting on the Republican front during the Spanish Civil War.
The 2026 award-winning film La Bola Negra (The Black Ball) includes scenes based on this photo and another photo taken on a garden path with Lorca and Rapun people sitting in deck chairs. The film's directors, Los Javis, meticulously tracked down these archival images and used them to construct the aesthetic of the flashback scenes as there was no filming at the hotel.
El éxito de 'La bola negra' recupera el verano de Lorca y Rapún en Algeciras
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El Chorruelo Beach steps
From the main bar terrace, across the lawn, there is a locked iron gate with steps leading conveniently down to El Chorruelo beach. Well, actually, where El Chorruelo beach used to be. The beach has been replaced by Algeciras Port and the tall control tower for shipping passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The steps still exist, and you can walk down them by going around via the main hotel entrance. However, the steps don't lead anywhere, just to an area of urban waste ground.
Ruta de Paco de Lucia
Paco de Lucia (Algeciras; 21 December 1947 - Playa del Carmen; 25 February 2014) One of the most famous and influential flamenco guitarists ever, if not the most famous, was Paco de Lucia, who hailed from Algeciras. You can follow the town's route of places around Algeciras which were important to the artist, starting at his birthplace, and moving south along the shoreline of the city. El Chorruelo Beach steps are included on this route. There is a information board outside the hotel's main gates. Follow the Paco de Lucia Route.
The King of Spain visited
Modern times dictate its use by conference delegates or members of the Algeciras Rotary Club. In the past, a frisson of delight would ripple through the guests when they spotted a famous face - actors, movie stars and even Royalty. King Alfonso of Spain and his English Queen Ena, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, were frequent visitors and it also hosted the politicians and delegates who attended the twelve nation Conference of Algeciras in 1906, called to decide on the partitioning of Morocco between France and Spain. This event, by the way, was reported on by a young English journalist called Winston Churchill.
The crest behind the hotel´s reception © Michelle Chaplow
In 1928 the hotel was almost burned down in a fire. Two years later it was opened with more rooms and with an interior patio (Patio Andalucia) enclosed above in glass. The hotel's structure remains in private hands, hotel was managed by Trusthouse Forte from 1963 to 1995 and since then Hoteles Globales.
His signature can be seen reproduces on large brass plaques adorning the reception area, along with those of Franklin D. Roosevelt (1937), Edward Heath (1976), Lord and Lady Mountbatten (1956) and the present King and Queen of Spain, King Emitrius Juan Carlos and Sofia (1968). Film stars who have stayed there include Joseph Cotton (1933), Orson Welles (1937), Deborah Kerr (1945) and Rock Hudson (1977), not to mention countless others.
The ruins in the grounds of the Hotel Reina Cristina
Great Mosque of Algeciras
The ruins Great Mosque of Algeciras (Mezquita Aljama de Algecira), was constructed in 778 AD are generally believed to be located in the grounds of the Hotel Reina Cristina and constructed as the centerpiece of the Villa Vieja (south of the Rio de la Miel), the oldest part of the medieval city. However some modern historians suggest that the Mosque was constructed on top of a hill in Villa Nueva (north of the Rio de la Miel)
Visitors can see the remains of three of the mosque's original perimeter walls. Most likely these modern reconstructions on original foundations Interestingly, modern archaeological analysis shows that the layout does not align perfectly with the standard precept of facing Mecca.
Located just outside the building's wall enclosure is a vaulted water well. Complete with an underground pipe archway, this well directly supplied water to the central courtyard fountain where worshipers performed the ritual cleansing (wudu) before prayer.
Why Book a Night at the Hotel Reina Cristina, Algeciras?
- A hotel steeped in history: Opened in 1901, the Reina Cristina has welcomed kings, queens, statesmen, celebrities and spies over the years.
- Fascinating historical curiosities: Discover intriguing reminders of the past, old telephones, a Edwardian traditional fireplaces, clocking-in and clocking-out machine for stff, and cabinets of polished silver, to name just a few.
- Indoor and outdoor swimming pools: A rare bonus. The indoor pool is small but cosy. The outdoor pool is open for an extended summer season.
- An old library: A charming glimpse into another era, just ask for the key to gain access.
- Subtropical gardens: Wander through the grounds, check out the towering palms, and discover the remains of an old mosque.
- Private parking and convenience: The hotel offers free convenient private parking within its grounds to hotel guests. Ideal for those driving by car or motorbike overland to Morocco.
- Character and charm: Although the hotel no longer has the grandeur of its illustrious past, with silver-service à la carte dining largely replaced by buffet-style meals and some rooms in need of updating, it retains a unique atmosphere and a wealth of history.
Our Stay: The four star Reina Cristina may not be the height of modern luxury, but for anyone who appreciates historic hotels, fascinating curiosities and a sense of stepping back in time, it is well worth a night’s stay.
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Hotel Reina Cristina in Algeciras
Location
Calle Paseo de la Conferencia, s/n, 11207 Algeciras, Cádiz